China booted out the U.K. as Canada’s second largest export market behind the U.S. last year, a shift more profound for what is says about the country’s economic history than it does about Canada’s recent trade trends.

Canada, after all, is a former British colony. Its economy was anchored in British colonial mercantilism until the economic might of the U.S. started to outshine that of the U.K. Since then, America has long been Canada’s undisputed biggest trading partner. Britain, however, has continued to be one of Canada’s most important trading partners, ranked No. 2 for Canadian exports since 2006, according to government statistics.

But last year, Canada’s merchandise exports to China jumped 14.9% to 19.3 billion Canadian dollars ($18.97 billion.) Shipments to the U.K. fell 0.8% to C$18.6 billion, according to data provided by Trade Minister Ed Fast’s office.

The growing appetite in China for Canadian goods, of course, is part of a broader global trend in which China’s economic fortunes have roiled traditional trading patterns around the world. More recently, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper started an aggressive push to open markets in Asia as its traditional trading partners in the Western world grapple with sluggish growth or recessions.

“It’s symptomatic of a generalized shift in Canadian exports to emerging markets,” of which China is key, Peter Hall, chief economist of Export Development Canada, the country’s export credit agency, told Canada Real Time.

With Western economies slowing, and trade ties with the U.S. strained by spats, including a surprise decision by the White House last year to delay approval for the Keystone XL pipeline project, Mr. Harper’s government is pushing to deepen trade and investment ties with China and other fast-growing markets in Asia.

Mr. Hall said Canada’s exports to the U.K grew an average 14.4% over the last decade versus a 15.2% growth rate in shipments to China. The problem last year was that “Canadian exports to Britain blinked”–primarily from lower exports of metals and chemicals–and given the U.K. recession, “it makes perfect sense that something like this would happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Canada’s exports to China continue to grow strongly, driven by shipments of wood pulp, oilseeds, iron ore and coal. Mr. Hall said the U.K. would have to significantly outgrow China in order to reclaim its position.

“For the moment, it looks as though China has more or less permanently claimed second spot,” he said.

About Canada Real Time

Canada Real Time provides insight and analysis into what’s making news in Canada, a country punching above its weight on the world stage thanks to its vast resources and strong banking sector. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we take a look at developments in fields ranging from business to politics to culture. You can contact the editors at canadaeditors@dowjones.com